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July 22, 2009
Zoe hits 50lbs gone and Onederland on the same day!...
Collage shows March, May and July photos
Zoe averages 1200 calories and two solid walks each day and has been in private one-on-one coaching since March
In her own words...
We're all different, and I wouldn't presume to know what works for anyone else, but I'd like to offer a few thoughts on what's been key to this program working so well for me, and what I like about it that may strike a chord with someone who's thinking about doing it, or may have recently begun:
Soon after starting, I discovered I needed to take all the accumulated knowledge and experience from years of dieting and food obsession and toss them out the window, then do my best to slam it shut whenever they tried to get back in!
While I had total trust in Carlene's approach, and it certainly made sense, so many arguments came into my head during the first days and weeks; I soon found myself questioning whether I'd made the right choice with this program and thinking that maybe if I'd started something else, or just done something on my own, I'd already be losing weight, without having to think about calories, fat grams etc; and wouldn't have to be thinking so much about food - period!
It had all sounded great on paper, but actually following it was a whole other thing. I couldn't get away from the undeniable fact however, that after years of dieting, compulsive eating, fasting, binging, frustration, depression, isolation, misery and, at times, sheer desperation and hopelessness, here I was again, looking and feeling like someone who wasn't me, yet still telling myself I wanted to go the same route again, rather than trying something different that might actually bring the success that was still eluding me, and that I was so tired of fighting for. It reminded me of something I'd heard about the craziness of doing the same thing over and over, while expecting a different result. That's when I decided that, hard as it was, I would do my best to shelve the ego that was sure it "knew better" and give this program my all, and - most importantly - come to it with a clean slate. Again, it wasn't easy to let go, but I knew if I could trust in the process, take a giant leap of faith, and HANG IN THERE for a few weeks, I might just have found a way that could work - not only long term, but once and for all.
I also knew I had a simple choice: continue eating myself to an early death - or at the very least, debilitating illnesses, or try something radically different that could perhaps give me my life back. It was time to face the fact that the other way hadn't worked and was not going to work. I could fool myself and go through it all again or I could embrace this with an open mind, EVEN IF I couldn't believe I was going to be able to do it.
The interesting thing is that once I allowed myself to do that, it all started flowing and results came so quickly and positively, I was astounded. It was as though I was finally helping my body (and my whole self) instead of fighting against, or trying to control things, and the response was powerful.
Now, after what hasn't seemed long at all, I find myself having crossed the threshold into 50 lbs gone and that Wonderful (but what seemed such a far off place to get to) Onederland.
Whenever someone who'd let go of a lot of weight would say "If I can do it, anyone can" part of me would think "yeah, anyone but me" because I'd tried so many times and NOT been able to, and had lost the ability to even imagine it anymore. This program is changing that, but if I'd given in to those loud, nagging doubts in the early stages, I'd be right back where I was, probably trying to summon the energy to begin yet another soul destroying episode of deprivation, frustration, and sooner or later, self-defeat. Instead I'm feeling so much better in so many ways; words can't adequately describe it.
Some of the things I particularly like and appreciate about this program are:
Eating and exercise plans I've been on in the past have claimed they cater to the individual. This one actually does. ( It's ironic but stands to reason that after following so many food plans that didn't suit me in one way or another, the one that's worked best is the one I've created for myself and am happy about living with long term.)
I'd long understood the concept of needing to change your lifestyle to achieve long-lasting results, rather than going on and then off a diet, but had never managed to put it into practice until doing this program.
I find it a great balance between being independent and supported.
I love the freedom of choice and flexibility, and appreciate not feeling deprived as the pounds disappear - as quickly or gradually as I choose.
It really and truly works, and it works magnificently, in such a simple yet profound way!!
There have been wonderful discoveries all along this path and many appealing aspects await, but for me at this point, the best and most important of all is that I am well on the way to finally making peace with food. Without that, my life was on hold. Thanks to this program, I now have the gift of knowing I can achieve anything I decide to...
~Zoe July 22, 2009
Finally, I have found my niche in the weight loss maze...by Carlene
I admit there have been many times when I have wondered why do I keep doing this. It is the toughest job I have ever had. I started with this dream that since I found using 100% low fat raw so simple to lose my weight all I had to do was tell the obese world about it and instantly obesity would be cured around the world. Boy was I wrong. It has been three and a half years of some great successes but many more disappointments. I think it was I more than anyone else who learned from this experience.
It was hard too to change my approach, to step away from the idea of 100% raw and instead work with obese men and women at whatever level of healthy food they were capable. I spent many sleepless nights feeling as though I was betraying my belief in 100% raw as the ideal diet for both health and weight loss. Yet, I knew that it only worked for a few obese men and women. It was just too hard for most. Face it, we are food addicts. Sure many of us are all or nothing types, but living on nothing long term doesn't work. The minute we break we run back to the all...the overeating on all the junk food we were deprived of while convincing ourselves we could live on the nothing because it gave us fast weight loss.
Finally, I believe I am ready to make the break and to publicly admit that my goal is to bring health and happiness to the obese regardless of their diet. The results I am seeing from my newest clients is so motivating for me, it has shown me that yes I am on the right path and what I have to offer is for more than just a select few.
Zoe is not the only one who has thrived in this new approach. Just last night when I was talking with Niadance, I knew that not only does this new approach work, but that it is the best thing I have ever done with my life. When she first started she wanted to be raw because of everything she had heard about it, but like many she just couldn't do it. She was going to quit. I talked her into giving me just the remainder of her intro program to find a diet that would work for her. We started from scratch. I talked and I talked, and she kept telling me she didn't think she could ever change. She agreed finally. After a couple more weeks of struggling with her disbelief she could ever change, she told me that she didn't believe me that this could work for her, but that she would trust me.
Last night, four weeks later, she said she thought she was getting the hang of this. She has some kind of virus and yet she still stuck to her guidelines and ate good healthy food. She told me she had thought about getting ice cream to make her throat feel better, but then decided it wouldn't really help so why eat it. It was then that I wanted to hug her, and I knew raw or not we all have the ability to beat our obesity and this is the way to do it.
When Niadance started she told me the reason she didn't think she could do this was because food was the one thing that made her feel good, and here she was deciding even with the best of excuses to use food to cool her throat, eating those extra calories wasn't going to get her anywhere.
Change. It is a wonderful thing. Maybe she hasn't had fast weight loss like everyone wants right from the beginning, but she is changing at the core. She is seeing this all in a different light and now instead of just trusting me that this works, she believes it will work.
Rdlesstrvld told me the same thing the other day. The food just isn't an issue any more. She has it down, and she believes it is because we did it slow and gradual. It just feels right.
The other client who has made this work for her is DC78. She has just hit her first major milestone, and like those I've talked about above, just feels she is in the right spot to take this all the way.
With all of these women we moved slow. It was hard, everyone wants that 50 pounds in two months, and in the past many have got it, but they have not kept it off because they put the weight loss before the change. All they could see was the scale. Now those that are making it are discovering what is really important. Within each of us there is the power to take control of our weight and our food, there is a path to freedom from food obsession, but to find it you must be willing to slow down and take a hard look at what is really important to you and what and how much you are willing to change to achieve it.
Whether you seek support from me or somewhere else, or even go after this on your own. Remember that every bad habit we have we learned, and if it is a learned behavior it can be unlearned. As Rdlesstrvld said to me the other day: "If I could learn all those bad habits, I can certainly learn some new ones."
It is time for all of us to stop believing someone or some company has the magic cure to our obesity. It is time to stand up and realize that the secret of your success lies within you. That is now my message, my passion. Raw food has been good for me and to me, but more important to me is the idea of each of us taking personal responsibility for our obesity and making peace with our bodies and the diet we can thrive on regardless of what anyone else thinks about it.
Already the new group 6 week program is making converts...
As an added bonus to my week of great discoveries and milestones with Zoe, Niadance, DC78, and Rdlesstrvld the new 6 week group program is doing great. A couple of members didn't get through the first week, but the other 16 are finding their way. Just like everyone else, they all would love to be doing fast weight loss today and are struggling with this new concept of starting slow, but many are seeing the benefits. They are eating foods they thought they could never have again, and saying things like: "I don't have to live in food prison? I can do this." "What an eye-opener I never knew the foods I ate were so high in calories and fat, no wonder I got heavy." One even talked about wanting a piece of chocolate and how great it was to know that it wasn't forbidden, but then thought about it and decided she just didn't really need it! That is what this program is all about!
I will keep you updated as we go. I may offer a second group in August, so if you are interested, email me and let me know so I can start a list. Once there are ten people interested, I will open up another program.
One-on-One 6 Week Intro Program...
$199 for Six Week Intro Program with 2X a week phone support and daily emails. Click here for more info.
You must be 75 lbs overweight to be in this program.
This is the very successful program I am offering to all obese men and women regardless of their dieting history. It is very personal with twice a week phone calls and tweaking of your program for life-long success. This program is only open to those with over 75 lbs to lose and who are willing to have an open mind toward change. This first six weeks is not a fast weight loss program, it is a reality check, a way of coming to terms with what you are honestly willing and able to do to achieve your goals. Together we work at your pace and design a plan that fits into your life instead of you trying to fit your life around the program. I have to admit this is my favorite support option as it allows me to really connect with my clients and help them through the day to day hiccups that normally would derail them.
The perfect day to start taking control of your relationship with food will never arrive, so why not make it today?
If you want to help me reach more of the obese community and offer hope to those who think surgery is their only answer, please put a link to my sites on your blog, on your own website, anywhere to help create an organically growing back link list for me. Here are the official site URLs:
Thanks.
Carlene
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